Current Hypertension Reviews - Volume 10, Issue 1, 2014

Hypertension is a well established cardiovascular risk factor and its deleterious effects had already been largely studied. Although the benefits of adequate blood pressure (BP) control have already been demonstrated, the prevalence of persons who fail to achieve such control is alarming. A number of causes for uncontrolled hypertension can be listed. According to recent guidelines, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is an impor Read More

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide and hypertension is one of the main cardiovascular risk factors. A large body of evidence have demonstrated the increased risk for CVD and mortality associated with uncontrolled hypertension and also the benefits of an adequate blood pressure (BP) control. In some cases, lack of adherence to treatment found during the evaluation of a subject with p Read More

Cohort studies have demonstrated the association between blood pressure and increased cardiovascular events. There are different therapeutic strategies to achieve goals of systolic and diastolic blood pressure. For a long time, therapeutic targets were not well defined and the concept of "smaller is better" was used diffusely. However, clinical trials have shown the presence of a "J-curve" in different clinical situations: below Read More

Hypertension is a major cardiovascular (CV) risk factor and elevated blood pressure poses a significant burden for the whole CV hemodynamics. Along the last decades different techniques and resources have been developed, including ultrasound´s M-mode and B-mode, spectral Doppler, tissue Doppler and color Doppler. Techniques from newer resources as speckle tracking, twist and tridimensional ultrasound are continu Read More

Hyperactivity of sympathetic nervous system is one of the main mechanisms to play a role in the pathophysiology of hypertension. Its high prevalence and the low rates of adequate blood pressure control with pharmacological treatment brought interest to novel therapeutical strategies. Percutaneous renal sympathetic denervation emerged as an effective and safe alternative to reduce blood pressure in patien Read More

Perioperative hypertension has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of perioperative morbidity and mortality. The time spent outside acceptable blood pressure ranges, in a state of hypertension or hypotension, is correlated with the incidence of stroke, acute coronary syndrome, renal dysfunction, and death. The ideal perioperative treatment of hypertension would include an easily titratable agent, with fast onset Read More

Arterial stiffness has been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in hypertension. The activity of the renin-angiotensin system(RAS) is well-known to be involved in the control of blood pressure, and pathogenesis and evolution of several cardiovascular diseases. Although data relating the RAS activity to arterial stiffness are incomplete, there is growing evidence which sho Read More

Background: Poor adherence is thought to be one of the major common causes of uncontrolled high blood pressure over the world leading to useless drug dose or class changes which may lead to increased adverse effects and medical costs. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between knowledge about complications related to hypertension and adherence to antihypertensive treatment. Materials a Read More

Arterial stiffness is a vascular measure that has been reported to predict cardiovascular events. It is important to measure arterial stiffness in order to determine current vascular status and treatment strategy. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a unique measure of systemic arterial stiffness that is measured by brachial and tibial arterial wave analyses. Measurement of baPWV is easy and is reproducible. For more th Read More

Background: To investigate the long term efficacy of carotid denervation by adventitial stripping of the internal carotid artery (ICA) for carotid sinus syndrome (CSS). Secondly, the long term safety of this technique is investigated with emphasis on the effects on blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and carotid artery diameter. Methods: Characteristics of patients that were operated for CSS in a single institute between 1980-200 Read More